utorak, 31.01.2012.
Heat shake off slow start, beat Hornets 109-95
Dwyane Wade's role as captain of the Miami Heat comes with certain privileges. For example, he can occasionally shake off calls from Heat coach Erik Spoelstra.
And no one complained, either.
Wade and LeBron James each scored 22 points, Mike Miller added 14 off the bench and the Heat rode the strength of a brilliant 18-minute run midway through the game to beat the Hornets 109-95 on Monday night, Miami's eighth win in nine games.
The Hornets finished with only 25 rebounds, the lowest total in the NBA this season. James had 11 rebounds — more than any two Hornets — and eight assists for Miami, which had six players in double figures and outscored New Orleans 54-23 from the midpoint of the second quarter through the end of the third.
"When a guy like D-Wade has a rhythm, you've got to keep feeding him," James said. "He brought us back."
Wade had 15 points in the second quarter, and perhaps his biggest contribution all night was when he got Spoelstra to change his mind. Looking to manufacture a jolt, Spoelstra wanted to go to a zone defense when Miami was strling. Wade waved him off, thinking the Heat were on the verge of getting something going.
He was right.
"We started the game in a little bit of a fog and they came out and played very sharply," Spoelstra said. "They came out with a lot of energy ... then the game changed, I felt, in the second quarter. Dwyane really set the tone from that point on."
Chris Bosh and Norris Cole each scored 12 for the Heat, who trailed 45-33 midway through the second quarter before outscoring New Orleans 76-50 the rest of the way.
Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry each scored 14 for New Orleans, which lost for the 17th time in 19 games after a 2-0 start. Emeka Okafor scored 13 points and Greivis Vasquez added 11 for the Hornets.
"It's hard to play the kind of basketball that you need to play when you're not getting what you feel is a fair call at times," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "I thought our guys got beat up a little bit tonight going to the basket. ... Take nothing away from Miami. That is a championship-contending team. Their effort showed that tonight."
There were all sorts of indicators sesting that Miami would get off to a less-than-ideal start.
It was Miami's third game in four nights, though all were at home. Monday's tip-off came about 24 hours after Sunday's down-to-the-wire epic against Chicago, where the Heat win wasn't secure until 0.1 seconds remained. And the second night of back-to-backs have been trouble all season for Miami, which had been 3-3 in those contests — including both of its home defeats, those coming against Atlanta and Milwaukee.
So sure enough, the Heat started slowly — and found themselves in a 12-point hole against a team with the worst record in the Western Conference. New Orleans made 10 of its first 11 shots, then used a 16-6 run in the second quarter to briefly grab control. Spoelstra had an idea. Wade apparently had a better one.
"He called our zone and as the captain at that time, I kind of vetoed it," Wade said. "It ain't gonna happen much. But I felt at the time we needed to be a little more aggressive."
With that, the game changed for good. Wade scored 11 straight Miami points to erase the deficit almost single-handedly — 13 out of 15 points as well, assisting a basket by James to account for the other two — and the Heat went into halftime up 51-49.
They were just getting started.http://balklanningar2012.blogspot.com
Miami scored the first nine points of the third, stretching the lead to 60-49 and capping what was a 27-4 run over a span of less than eight minutes. James scored 14 points in the quarter, Chalmers made all three of his shots — all from 3-point range — and the Miami lead was up to 87-68 by the end of the period.
"That's the game right there. You blink and all of a sudden the lead opens up," Okafor said. "With a team like that, you can't allow that to happen — three superstars and a cast of players who can play. You give them that type of leeway, they just run with it."
By then, the only drama left was whether James would get his 33rd career triple-double. Instead, he got the fourth quarter off.
Giants vs. Patriots II worth 4-year wait
Here we go again.
Four years after what many consider the best finish in Super Bowl history, the Giants and Patriots are facing off once more for the NFL championship. While there are no perfect records on the line this time, this matchup could be equally enticing.
It certainly looks that way heading into Sunday's big game. In 2008, with New England undefeated and having beaten New York in the regular-season finale, the Patriots were 12-point favorites. The spread now is 3, and the Giants beat them during the season.http://balklanningar2012.blogspot.com
Both teams are on quite a roll, too. The Patriots (15-3) have won 10 straight — it was 18 in a row in '08 — and the Giants (12-7) have five consecutive victories.
All of which matters not a bit, according to Bill Belichick, who will tie a record for head coaches with his fifth Super Bowl appearance.
"I've been asked about that game for several days now. All of the games in the past really don't mean that much at this point," said Belichick, 3-1 in NFL title games. "This game is about this team this year. There aren't really a lot of us coaches and players who were involved in that game, and very few players, in relative terms, between both teams. We are where we are now, and we're different than where we were earlier in the season. The Giants are where they are now, and I think they're different than where they were at different points of the season. To take it back years and years before that, I don't think it has too much bearing on anything."
The loss still reverberates for former Patriots linebacker Rosevelt Colvin.
"It was like getting punched in the stomach," he said. "I still can't watch the highlights from that game because of the opportunity we missed out on was so grand
Having come this far before is immeasurably helpful, according to Justin Tuck, the leader of the Giants' defense whose return to health and form has keyed New York's resurgence. He says the experience of four years ago in the Arizona desert will benefit everyone.
"The only thing that I tell the younger guys is make football football," Tuck said. "Don't make this game bigger than it has to be. Everybody around you is going to make it bigger, but we have to concentrate on why we're going out there. There's going to be a lot of parties. There's going to be a lot of people pulling at your coattail. Listen, if you go out there and you handle your business and you win this game, you can party all you want to after that.
"For me, personally, the first time I went to a Super Bowl I approached it as such — as a once in a lifetime thing."
For Tuck, it wasn't. And while the defense he leads to Indianapolis isn't quite as overwhelming as the unit that made life miserable for Tom Brady in '08, it has been reinvigorated as the Giants surged to the NFC championship. It also is just as deep as the group that sacked Brady five times, hit him nine more — Osi Umenyiora claimed he had that many hits alone — and unnerved the usually unflappable star.
Today, it's Tuck, Umenyiora, All-Pro Jason Pierre-Paul, Dave Tollefson and linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, who compare favorably with Umenyiora, Tuck, Michael Strahan, Jay Alford and LB Antonio Pierce in 2008.
Other than head coaches Belichick and New York's Tom Coughlin, that is the most common element between the two Super Bowls.
"It's been a strength of their team for as long as I can remember," Brady said. "Michael Strahan, as great of a player as he was, I think we played them in 2003 and they were still harassing the quarterback. It seems like they always have guys who can rush the quarterback. Justin Tuck is as good as they come. Osi week in and week out, he's a player who can ruin a game for an offense. You look at the group they have now, and they have a ton of depth at the defensive line position."
Controversial receivers Randy Moss and Plaxico Burress have been replaced by skilled playmakers like tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez in New England, wideouts Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz in New York. Eli Manning no longer is a question as Giants quarterback, and has carried the offense much the way running backs Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw did in the past.
Lawrence Tynes kicked the Giants into the Super Bowl in overtime in '08 and — incredibly — this year, too. Wes Welker led the Patriots with 112 catches that season and had 122 in this one.
Sixteen Giants remain from the 17-14 Super Bowl victory, and only seven Patriots are still around.
Similarities and differences, all juicy elements for Giants-Patriots II.
Here we go again.
četvrtak, 12.01.2012.
Packers coaches split Philbin's duties as he mourns son's death
Mike McCarthy called it a "punch in the heart." Then the typically stoic Green Bay Packers coach briefly lost his composure, pausing for several seconds as he choked up with emotion
It was another sign of how hard the team has been hit by the death of Michael Philbin, the son of Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin.
With Sunday's playoff game against the New York Giants to prepare for -- and a Super Bowl repeat to strive for -- real life has knocked back the Packers.
"I think the reality of this just gave everybody a punch in the heart to let you know the reality," McCarthy said, pausing and looking downward as he gathered his emotions. "How fortunate to be where we are."
Philbin wasn't with the team Wednesday and will be away indefinitely as he and his family deal with the loss of Michael, whose body was recovered from an icy Wisconsin river on Monday. Police said preliminary autopsy results showed the 21-year-old drowned.
McCarthy said he and the rest of his offensive assistant coaches are dividing up Philbin's responsibilities and will continue to do so as long as they need to.
"Joe Philbin is where he's supposed to be," McCarthy said. "Frankly, Joe and I haven't even talked about his responsibility -- and will not. He's with his family, and he'll return when he feels he's ready to return."
The Philbin family will hold a visitation Thursday, and the funeral is Friday afternoon. Wide receiver Greg Jennings hopes he'll be able to attend.
"Definitely," Jennings said. "Obviously, he's a part of us, he's a part of our family and we're a part of their family. When you work with a guy every single day from morning until late night, it's like you become a part of them and they become a part of you. So we definitely want to support (them) if that will allow us."
Players know that winning a game in Philbin's honor won't really do anything to take away the family's loss -- but at least it's doing something.
"Being in the team meeting, when everything was relayed to us, you could just sense that, 'OK, we've got to do this for Joe,' " Jennings said.
"If he can't be with us to experience it, he's with the people he should be with, which is his family. We need to make sure that he knows that we're thinking about him, and the one way we can definitely show that is going out there and performing and executing the way he would want us to perform and execute."
Grieving Packers being quest for Super Bowl return vs. Giants
The New York Giants wanted a rematch with the Green Bay Packers after losing to them in the regular season.
The defending Super Bowl champion Packers, however, may have their minds elsewhere leading up to this NFC divisional playoff matchup.
Green Bay will have heavy hearts heading into Sunday's home meeting with the Giants after the tragic death earlier this week of offensive coordinator Joe Philbin's son.
The buildup for a much-anticipated rematch of the Packers' 38-35 victory at New York on Dec. 4 has taken a back seat after the loss of 21-year-old Michael T. Philbin, who disappeared early Sunday and was reported missing that night.
His body was recovered from the Fox River by divers on Monday, and preliminary autopsy results showed that the younger Philbin drowned.
"We love Michael so much and will miss him dearly," Joe Philbin said in a statement released by the team. "He loved his family, friends and life. His memory will live on in the hearts and minds of all who knew him. We are appreciative of the prayers and the support of our family, friends and the Packers family."
The funeral is set for Friday, and Joe Philbin was not with the Packers for Wednesday's practice.
"Joe Philbin is where he's supposed to be," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He's with his family and he'll return when he's ready to return."
The Giants expressed their best wishes to Philbin and the Packers.
"When we first heard this the other night, the whole coaching staff, the room went absolutely silent," coach Tom Coughlin said. "Many guys know Joe Philbin. You have tremendous empathy, but you can't (have) anywhere near the feeling that his family's going through. Just tragic."
On the field, league MVP favorite Aaron Rodgers and fellow Pro Bowl selection Eli Manning will meet in the playoffs for the first time. Rodgers threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns and Manning had 347 and three scores in last month's meeting between Super Bowl MVPs.
The Packers improved to 12-0 with that victory before suffering their only loss two weeks later in Kansas City.
Rodgers, 2-0 against the Giants, threw for 45 TDs and 4,643 yards with six interceptions and an NFL-record 122.5 passer rating this season. Manning fell 67 yards shy of 5,000 before completing 23 of 32 passes for 277 yards with three touchdowns in last Sunday's 24-2 win over Atlanta in a wild-card game.
The Packers have won 13 straight at home. This is the first postseason game at Lambeau Field since the Giants' 23-20 overtime win in the NFC title game four seasons ago, when Manning outplayed Brett Favre in his last game with Green Bay.
"I think anytime you're in the playoffs, you're playing a team who's had a great season and playing in Lambeau Field - it's going to be cold, it's going to be conditions - it should be a great environment," Manning said.
New York is starting to resemble that 2007 team, which knocked off previously undefeated New England in the Super Bowl. The Giants' pass rush has been led by the emergence of Pro Bowler Jason Pierre-Paul and bolstered by the return of fellow defensive end Osi Umenyiora two weeks ago.
After a solid effort against Dallas in a 31-14 NFC East clincher in Week 17, the Giants' defense held the Falcons' offense scoreless last week.
A New York defense that ranked 28th in the regular season has gained confidence since being shredded by Rodgers.
"We wanted to see them again, but we realized in seeing them again it would be in a playoff game like this, so obviously we wanted to see them again," defensive end Justin Tuck said. "But yeah, we felt like we let one slip through our hands.
"I am sure Green Bay is saying to themselves, 'We didn't play our best game.' All of that is in the past. We'll get our opportunity to settle all those question marks on Sunday."
The Packers have noticed the Giants' improvement.
"I thought the Giants really had a decisive victory over the Falcons," McCarthy said. "I think it really started up front, on both sides of the ball. I thought they controlled the line of scrimmage offensively with their run game and really gave their quarterback and their passing game the chance to play downhill."
Green Bay will use a different offensive line than the group that limited New York to two sacks in the last matchup, with left tackle Chad Clifton expected to start. Clifton practiced Wednesday along with right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who is nursing an ankle injury.
New York got good news when cornerback Aaron Ross practiced Wednesday after leaving Sunday's game with a concussion. Ross will be needed to help slow down a Packers receiving corps led by Pro Bowler Jordy Nelson (1,263 yards) and Greg Jennings (949), who is set to return after missing three games with a sprained left knee.
The Giants (10-7) will be trying to exploit a Green Bay defense that ranked last in the NFL in the regular season, although the unit produced a league-high 31 interceptions.
Green Bay (15-1) figures to be tested by a Giants passing attack that has seen Manning hook up frequently with Victor Cruz (1,536 yards) and Hakeem Nicks (1,192). New York had the league's least productive running game in the regular season before gaining a season-high 172 yards on the ground last week.
The Giants are visiting Lambeau for the first time since last season's 45-17 loss, in which Rodgers threw for 404 yards and four TDs. New York could have clinched a playoff spot, but was eliminated the next week while the victory started Green Bay's 19-game win streak.
srijeda, 04.01.2012.
Jets LB Scott under review by league for obscene gesture
The NFL is looking into an obscene gesture that New York Jets linebacker Bart Scott made toward a photographer in the team's locker room.
NFL spokesman Greg Aiello confirmed Tuesday that the league is reviewing the incident, which occurred as the players cleared out their lockers at the team's facility in Florham Park, N.J., on Monday after failing to make the playoffs. Scott gathered items from his locker, walked past reporters and then turned, stuck out his middle finger and used an expletive while telling a photographer to get the camera out of his face.
Scott could be fined under the league's personal-conduct policy.
In separate interviews on ESPN Radio in New York, general manager Mike Tannenbaum and coach Rex Ryan said Scott's behavior was "unacceptable."
"I don't know exactly how," Ryan added, "but that situation will definitely be addressed."
Scott likely has much bigger career concerns, as a source close to the situation told Newsday this week the linebacker likely won't return. Scott has a $4.2 million base salary that is fully guaranteed after he agreed to take a $1 million pay cut in 2011, according to The Star-Ledger. Scott is signed through 2014, but according to NFL Network's Michael Lombardi, the team has told people it can get out of paying Scott his guaranteed salary.
Scott, 31, made just 66 tackles this season, his lowest total since he with the Baltimore Ravens in 2004.
srijeda, 30.11.2011.
Plethora of choices await Red-colored Sox in Dallas
When gm Ben Cherington gets to baseball's Winter Conferences -- which occur in Dallas from 12 ,. 5-8 -- he'll go full-speed ahead in attempting to make the required tweaks to show the Red-colored Sox right into a championship team.
While Cherington isn't any stranger towards the Conferences, these is going to be his first like a gm.
No more can Cherington just make casual walks with the lobby and greet a couple of familiar faces. When you're the gm from the Red-colored Sox, you're firmly the main attraction, and that's why Theo Epstein lobby sightings were always scarce throughout Winter Meetings' past.
This can be a crucial winter for that Red-colored Sox, as Cherington and the staff attempt to create a roster that may overcome September's epic collapse.
You will find an array of choices to become made.
Can Cherington sign an effective right-handed striking outfielder like, say, Michael Cuddyer?
Who'll replace Jonathan Papelbon within the closer's role?
The beginning rotation might have two openings, based on whether Cherington thinks internal solutions are realistic.
And so the large question: What becomes of David Ortiz?
The large sler is a pressure through the majority of his nine years in Boston, but he's now a totally free agent. There have been preliminary talks in the General Managers Conferences with Ortiz's reps, but could the edges create a deal?
What goes on with Ortiz must have a domino impact on the relaxation from the roster. When the Red-colored Sox keep Large Papi, they most likely will not have as much cash to invest in right area, or, possibly, around the mound.
If Ortiz leaves, expect Cherington to become aggressive in reallocating those funds.
However, it will appear obvious the Red-colored Sox have lots of motivation to help keep Ortiz inside a Boston uniform.
"I believe there's an excellent knowledge of where each side are," Cherington stated lately. "We are simply not in the same point yet, there is however an excellent knowledge of where everybody is. I believe there is a mutual curiosity about coming back. That does not mean he'll, but we'll keep focusing on it."
If keeping Ortiz in Boston could be more like a regular move, Cherington has indicated he'll think outdoors this area when addressing the areas from the club.
Among individuals, clearly, may be the pitching staff.
At his opening news conference as GM, Cherington stated the club required to hit on some pitchers this winter, similar to the Sox did with Alfredo Aceves last offseason.
Low-risk, high-reward signings might be right up Cherington's alley if this involves an industry shallow of prime-time beginning pitching targets. Though John Smoltz and Kaira Cent did not exercise last year, Cherington states that can't deter the Red-colored Sox from creating a similar kind of signing this season.
"I believe we must,Inch Cherington stated. "I do not think we are able to limit ourselves this offseason. We have to increase our pitching depth. We've got some assets to achieve that. They are finite, so we are going to check out numerous options. I wouldn't eliminate signing a rehab-type pitcher just due to what went down before."
Around the heels of this September collapse, might Cherington shake some misconception by dealing his prominent gamers? So far, the GM has not expressed a propensity to do this. However, he is doing have lots of gamers who're drawing interest.
"There's lots of trade interest in many our men. None from it really surprises me," Cherington stated. "Just lots of trade curiosity about them, I suppose.Inch
Among Cherington's most fascinating problems is going to be how to proceed at closer.
Daniel Bard clearly has got the stuff to shut, but who'd replace him because the lead setup guy?
Bobby Jenks is a closer the majority of his career, but it is most likely not fair to project him for the reason that role in 2012, giving all of the health worries he's coming from.
Should Aceves get the opportunity to close, or is he going to start? On the other hand, Aceves may be best of within the swing role he pitched in this past year.
You will find attractive closers around the free-agent market, including Heath Bell and Ryan Madson.
Then when Cherington reaches Dallas, he'll don't have any shortage of products to help keep him busy.
utorak, 02.08.2011.
Bedard scheduled to start for Red Sox on Thursday
Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona said Monday that recently acquired left-hander Erik Bedard is scheduled to start Thursday's series finale against Cleveland.
Bedard, traded from Seattle to Boston in a three-team deal just before the non-waiver trade deadline Sunday, is expected to join the Red Sox on Tuesday.
In a pair of moves on Sunday, Boston first sent minor league right-handers Stephen Fife and Juan Rodriguez and catcher Tim Federowicz to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for outfielder Trayvon Robinson. The Red Sox then traded Robinson to the Mariners with Double-A outfielder Chih-Hsien Chiang for Bedard and Josh Fields.
Boston had to bolster its starting pitching depth with right-hander Clay Buchholz sidelined with a back injury. The club already lost right-hander Daisuke Matsuzaka for the season after he had Tommy John surgery in early June.
Francona said Buchholz saw specialist Dr. Robert Watkins in Los Angeles today, but the team's medical personnel still need to go over the results.
Various media reports have Buchholz possibly lost for the season with a stress fracture in his back.
"Now we need to let Dr. Watkins talk to the medical people and Theo (general manager, Epstein)," Francona said. "We'll have an update tomorrow or maybe later tonight."
Boston had acquired right-hander Rich Harden from Oakland last Saturday night, but the deal fell through when the Red Sox reviewed his medical records.
petak, 15.04.2011.
Barnhart to IndyCar drivers: Make double-file restarts work
The hot spot in the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach will be the nearly 90-degree first corner, a left-hander the drivers say will almost certainly cause calamity.
IndyCar chief steward Brian Barnhart shares that concern, but said the outcome of that corner and Long Beach's other 10 will be in the hands of the drivers.
"Double-file restarts are going to remain," he said.
Barnhart said minor adjustments could be made to the restart zone or the speed at which the drivers can accelerate.balklänningar
The rise in full-course cautions for contact was 45 percent at the first two tracks of this season -- the street course in St. Petersburg, Fla., and the Barber Motorsports Park road Cheap NHL Jerseys course in Alabama -- compared to last year's races at those tracks. But that only begins to tell the story of extra contact.
Bumping has made IndyCar look more like NASCAR, which was the goal of CEO Randy Bernard and the team owners. The only injuries have been wrist fractures to Justin Wilson and Ana Beatriz. Wilson is one of three driver representatives on a committee that meets with IndyCar officials at each race. Beatriz, a rookie, was held out of the Barber race following surgery but will return this weekend.
"I told them before the race at Barber, 'Don't look at me to change the rules; you've got the wheel in your hands and you're making the choices, not me,' " Barnhart said. "But (the drivers) have to balance the risk versus the consequences."
At Barber, Barnhart asked for more spacing between the rows on restarts, and that seemed to work, Wilson said. But some drivers remained aggressive in what amounts to their best opportunities to pass on non-oval circuits.
"All the drivers want to make (double-file) restarts work because we're told that's what the fans want," Wilson said. "But if we had a straight-up choice between single-file or double-file restarts, we'd choose single file because that's what we (are used to)."
Wilson acknowledges the tricky nature of setting the parameters. Starting later means more cars are closer to one another at turn one; starting sooner equates to arriving at the braking point at faster speeds. "I don't know if there's a right answer," he said.
500 entry list out
The Indianapolis 500 entry list released Thursday by Indianapolis Motor Speedway showed 35 drivers for 42 entries, the highest number of the latter since 2002. See Page C7 for the complete list. Practice begins May 14.
IndyCar back to Phoenix?
IndyCar has raced at nine tracks owned by International Speedway Corp. over the years: California, Chicagoland, Homestead, Kansas, Michigan, Nazareth, Phoenix, Richmond and Watkins Glen. None are on this year's schedule.
In a bid to increase the number of ovals the series visits in 2012, Bernard has been pushing ISC officials for a return to Phoenix. There has been casual discussion about returning to other ISC tracks, too.
But Bernard made his strongest statement on the ISC subject last weekend at Barber when he told a blogger that from his perspective, it's Phoenix or nothing.
"If Phoenix isn't in the mix, I don't know if I'm interested in ISC tracks," he said on George Phillips' website, oilpressure.com.
Long Beach practice
Today's two practice sessions at Long Beach have more relevance than previously because the combined lapped times will determine the two qualifying groups.
The driver with today's fastest time will get to choose whether his group qualifies first or second. All the odd-numbered finishers from today will join him in that group, with all the even-numbered finishers in the other group.
The change was made to balance the groups in non-oval qualifying, previously picked randomly. Ryan Hunter-Reay started 17th at Barber because he wasn't one of the fastest six drivers in his group, but his lap time would have been more than good enough in the other group.billiga balklänningar
utorak, 29.03.2011.
Seniors dominate All-America team
Seniors dominated The Associated Press All-America team for the first time in five years.
Jimmer Fredette of BYU, Nolan Smith of Duke and JaJuan Johnson of Purdue, all seniors, were joined on the team Monday by junior Kemba Walker of Connecticut and freshman Jared Sullinger of Ohio State.
It's the most seniors since four made the 2006 team.
Fredette led the nation in scoring at 28.5 points per game while shooting 40.4 percent from 3-point range, a number more impressive because of the shots he lets fly from well behind the line.
He received all but one vote from the 65-member national media panel that selects the weekly Top 25. The voting was done before the NCAA tournament.
Fredette became one of the most popular players in recent memory as teams that lost to BYU were "jimmered."
"I think that it's a great accomplishment. Unbelievable," BYU coach Dave Rose said. "It shows how good his work ethic is. He's a player who has worked his way into an All-American. What he's meant to our program over the last four years — it's really kind of immeasurable."
He is BYU's first All-America since Danny Ainge in 1981.
"If you go out and play your game and have confidence in yourself, you can accomplish great things," Fredette said. "That's what I've always said in my head, and it's worked out."
Smith, who received 61 votes, averaged 21.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.2 assists in leading the Blue Devils to the top of the polls for 10 weeks this season. He assumed most of the ball-handling for Duke after star freshman Kyrie Irving went down early in the season with a toe injury and was responsible for defending the other team's top perimeter player.
"It's been a long process for me, just getting better each year and improving," Smith said. "That's something I hope to share with younger kids coming up. If you put the time in and get better and better and then by the time your senior year hits, you'll start to accomplish some of those individual goals, and that's something that I've done."
Smith is the fifth Duke player to be an All-America since 2000; two of them — Jason Williams and J.J. Redick — were selected twice.
Sullinger burst onto to the national scene by averaging 17.2 points and 10.1 rebounds while shooting 53.6 per cent. The 6-foot-9 Sullinger, the seventh freshman All-America over the last five years, received 58 votes.
"I felt he was going to have a great impact not just on our program but on college basketball. The productivity he's had throughout the course of the season has really been incredible,"
Buckeyes coach Thad Matta said. "He so much fun to coach. As I've said, if I was starting a team, I'd select him to be our first player."
Walker had a strong start to the season and then capped it with an incredible performance in leading the Huskies to five wins in as many days to win the Big East tournament. He averaged 23.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists and was the leader of one of the youngest teams in the country.
"It feels good, especially because I wasn't a pre-season All-American," said Walker, who received 51 votes. "I just wanted to come into the season and try to win as many games as we could. From winning, it really helped me be a better player and just get more recognition."
Huskies coach Jim Calhoun said the 6-1 Walker, Connecticut's first All-America since Emeka Okafor in 2004, was "without a doubt the most important player to his team this season. I can't imagine where we would be without him."
The 6-foot-10 Johnson was Purdue's inside presence, averaging 20.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He was the first Boilermaker chosen to the first team since Glenn Robinson in 1994. Johnson returned to Purdue after considering leaving for the NBA. "Your senior year, you don't want to leave anything out there, and I definitely have no regrets. It worked out," he said. "The only thing I wanted to do that we didn't get done was go to the Final Four. Other than that, we got it all done."
Marcus Morris of Kansas led the second team and was joined by Derrick Williams of Arizona, Ben Hansbrough of Notre Dame, Jordan Taylor of Wisconsin and Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State.
Fredette and Johnson were both on the pre-season All-America team, along with Kyle Singler of Duke, Jacob Pullen of Kansas State and Harrison Barnes of North Carolina.
ponedjeljak, 21.03.2011.
Top-seeded Ohio State routs George Mason 98-66
CLEVELAND -- Once Ohio State's Jared Sullinger declared it was over, it was over.
David Lighty made all seven of his 3-pointers and scored 25 points, Sullinger added 18 after informing one of George Mason's players "it's over" and top-seeded Ohio State made 16 3s to advance in the NCAA tournament with a jaw-dropping 98-66 win Sunday.
With thousands of fans chanting "O-H-I-O" at every opportunity, the Buckeyes (34-2) took apart the Patriots (27-7), who created some March mayhem a few years ago and hoped to follow Butler's lead by taking out a No. 1 seed in this tourney.
Ohio State destroyed any upset plans and moved closer to its first national title since 1960. The Buckeyes will meet Kentucky (27-8) in the East regional semifinals Friday in Newark, N.J. Ohio State is 5-0 in NCAA tournament matchups with the Wildcats.
After falling behind 11-2, the Big Ten champions used their devastating inside-outside attack to post the most lopsided tournament victory in school history.
William Buford scored 18 and freshman guard Aaron Craft had 15 assists for Ohio State.
Cam Long scored 16 points to lead George Mason.
The challenge was daunting enough for the Patriots and then they found out before the game that they would face the Buckeyes without Luke Hancock, one of their best players. The sophomore guard had food poisoning and remained with a trainer at the team's hotel.
Hancock, who averages 10 points, scored 18 and hit a decisive 3-pointer with 21 seconds left in George Mason's win over Villanova in the second round.
But even he probably couldn't have helped. The Patriots were in way over their heads against the Buckeyes.
Early on, the Patriots weren't fazed and came right at Ohio State. They opened with an 11-2 run capped by a basket from Ryan Pearson, a junior from New York who started jawing with Sullinger. Ohio State's laid-back big man took exception to a few of Pearson's words and responded with a prediction.
"It's over, yo," he said, waving his hands.
And it was, yo.
The Buckeyes closed the first half by outscoring the Patriots 50-15, unleashing every weapon in their overstocked offensive arsenal. They scored on backboard-quaking dunks. They made nine 3-pointers. They dropped floaters, layups and shots from every angle.
Lighty, the fifth-year senior from Cleveland who was on OSU's national runner-up team with Greg Oden and Michael Conley in 2007, made all five 3s and scored 17 points during the opening half of his final college game in Ohio. Sullinger chipped in with 13 and Diebler nine.
At one point, Buford and Diebler were a combined 2 of 9 from the field and Ohio State was still ahead by 15.
There was nothing the Patriots could do.
After Lighty made his fifth 3-pointer, Diebler, the Big Ten's career leader in 3s, finally got one to go. Buford then hit another 3 and Diebler, who perfected his jumper in the summer by making 1,000 shots per day, closed the first half by swishing one of his patented line-drive 3s.
He let out a primal scream and ran off the floor with the Buckeyes.
It was over, all right, and on to New Jersey.
There was still a second half to be played and Ohio State showed the Patriots no mercy. The Buckeyes made seven more 3-pointers and finished 16 of 26 from behind the arc. In the closing minutes, coach Thad Matta cleared his bench, allowing OSU's seldom-used reserves to get a taste of tourney action.
Earlier in the day, Lighty, Diebler and Dallas Lauderdale received their diplomas. They had to skip Sunday's winter commencement ceremony in Columbus to face George Mason, and the trio posed at midcourt for photos after the morning shootaround wearing their caps.
